NRG to launch C&I energy management platform in joint partnership

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Dive Brief:

Cummins and NRG Energy have launched a strategic partnership to offer a distributed energy platform to commercial and industrial customers they say could save up to 15% on energy costs.

The companies say the platform is estimated to contain "hundreds of megawatts" of capacity, enough to power "tens of thousands of homes." But NRG won't release specific numbers until the systems are deployed in early 2018.

The two companies say they will form a joint development team to pursue sales and market and maintain energy assets "to guarantee outcomes for end-use customers."​

Dive Insight:

Cummins and NRG are targeting the commercial and industrial sectors with a new energy management solution offering that can incorporate distributed resources and be expanded as needed. Both companies believe savings could be significant, though they would not release hard numbers.

Cummins and NRG believe their solution could save customers up to 15% on current energy costs, give them more control over their energy use, while also reducing stress on the distribution grid and avoiding environmental impacts, based on prior experience.

“Reliable power remains critical in the overall distributed energy equation, Norbert Nusterer, president of Cummins power systems business, said in a statement. "This partnership is intended to expand on the experience we have gained."

The two companies say they intend to form a joint development team to "pursue solution sales, and market and maintain energy assets to guarantee outcomes for end-use customers." The systems will utilize Cummins-powered generators and NRG's distributed energy resource capabilities.

NRG Energy has been in the midst of a course change. Over the summer, NRG's board unanimously approved a plan to divest from 6 GW of conventional generation.